HHF is a Riverun enterprise charity — a structured giving program that channels Australian enterprise resources into lasting community development in the Himalayas.
Nepal sits at the crossroads of two of the world's great civilisations — yet millions of its people live without reliable electricity, internet, or access to quality education. The Himalayan regions are among the most breathtaking places on earth, and among the most underserved.
Himalayan Helping Hands Foundation was founded in 2026 by Liam Tormey — a Melbourne-based entrepreneur and founder of Riverun Pty Ltd — after conversations with community educators in Nepal revealed a simple truth: they didn't need charity handouts. They needed infrastructure, tools, and a partner who would stay.
HHF's flagship model — the solar-powered Education Hub — was designed to be low-cost to build, low-cost to maintain, and high in community ownership. Local facilitators run each hub. Local communities help site, govern, and sustain them. We build. They lead.
As a Riverun enterprise charity, HHF benefits from the full operational infrastructure of Riverun Pty Ltd: technology, legal, financial, and communications resources that would otherwise be inaccessible for an early-stage foundation.
"One Hub at a time — that's how we climb."
We partner with local schools to provide scholarships for students who cannot afford fees, fund basic infrastructure repairs, and run teacher upskilling programs in remote mountain communities.
Our flagship Education Hubs are solar-powered rooms equipped with laptops and satellite internet. Communities without grid power can access the same digital curriculum as any city school.
Working alongside Nepalese health workers, we fund mobile medical clinics and maternal nutrition support for villages without road access to health facilities.
We seed local micro-enterprises — especially women-led cooperatives — with small grants, training, and access to Australian markets for handmade goods.
Nepal is one of the world's most disaster-prone nations. HHF maintains a standing relief fund to mobilise within 48 hours of a declared emergency in our partner regions.
HHF is a lean operation by design. We believe in putting the maximum possible into the communities we serve — not overhead. As we grow, we'll add only what serves the mission.
Uttam Baniya is the co-founder of HHF and our in-country director in Nepal. Born and raised in the Himalayan region, Uttam bridges the foundation's Australian resources with deep community knowledge and trusted local relationships across Nepal's mountain communities.
Liam co-founded HHF as a Riverun enterprise charity — channelling Australian enterprise infrastructure and resources into lasting community development in the Himalayas.
HHF's in-country operations are led by co-founder Uttam Baniya, who brings deep community knowledge and trusted relationships across the Himalayan regions of Nepal.
Get in touch with us →HHF sits inside the Riverun enterprise network — sharing infrastructure, values, and a commitment to building things that last. Our enterprise partners contribute through profit-sharing, in-kind services, and direct sponsorship.